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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill Jackson who wrote (33878)	7/2/1998 10:42:00 PM
From: Elmer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574493

There is such a lack of understanding about semiconductor test here that I am amazed that Ali didn't start it. Oh well, someone needs to fill you guys in so here goes. What a company guarantees when they sell a device is that the device will meet the specifications published in their data sheet under the conditions specified. There are also implied and expressed guarantees as to quality and reliability. All big name companies, Intel included, test each and every one of their parts, usually at full speed, usually at temperature extremes and usually to tight AC & DC specifications. Some companies cut some corners but I don't believe Intel cuts any corners and in the interests of fairness, I don't believe AMD does either. No reputable semiconductor supplier ships material based wholly or largely on statistics, meaning each and every part is tested to specific specs, not on a average of how the wafer performs, nor based on SPC parameters. The fact that a part labeled 266mhz may run at 300mhz in a given system does not mean fraud has taken place. A 266mhz part may function at 3000mhz but that doesn't mean that it meets all the guaranteed parameters published for a 300mhz part. It may only operate at that speed if the voltage is kept at tighter than +/- 5%. Or it may function if the case temp is kept below the guaranteed temp, or the current draw may be greater than the guaranteed maximum. To suggest that this is a type of fraud is to show great ignorance of the industry and the system design process. When I buy a new system I am offered an extended warrenty at an added cost. Am I defrauded if I pay the premium, yet someone else declines this option and suffers no breakdown? It would be by this line of reasoning. Intel is doing nothing wrong here nor would AMD be if they were doing the same. EP